Are you….
– A busy person who never have enough time to read?
– A teenage girl who will read anything besides long, plain textbooks?
– A curious teenage dude who wants to know what girls like to read?
– A middle aged woman interested in the imaginary world of teenage romance with a blend of reality?
If you are one of the above, or if you are not, you are nevertheless truly welcomed to browse through my own personalized list of top 5 best shoujo manga! “Shoujo” means “teenage female” in Japanese. Manga” is Japanese version of graphic novels. Add those two together, “Shoujo Manga”, and it means “Graphic Novels designed for young female readers”. Wonderful!
Counting down. Starting From Number 5:
#5) MARS by Fuyumi Soryo
Summary: Kira Aso is an introverted teenager who barely speaks in class and is out of tune with the rest of her cheerful, trendy classmates. On top of that, she has severe anxiety of guys, making dating an impossible task for her. Rei Kashino is almost a 360 degree turn of Kira Aso. He is loud, naughty, professional motorcycle racer and is the most popular trouble maker among his classmates. Romance between Kira Aso and Rei Kashino just seems impossible, but it miraculously occur. As the couple starts to know more about each other, they start to realize the pain of their own souls…
Opinion: This is not just your typical gangster world with fights and “good girls fall in love with bad boys” stereotype. The story is way deeper than that. It involves psychological trauma, pain of human souls, and shows how love can help us heal our hidden wounds. This a meaningful, in-dept manga that illustrates the good and bad parts of human society.
Summary: Kyo Aizawa is just another ordinary teenage girl, that is, until her basketball fan father forces her to cross dress as a boy and live in the boys dorm in order to be on the school’s prestigious basketball team. What can she do? With no other choice, she lives her life with drama while living with her roommate, Chiharu Eniwa.
Opinion: One word sums this manga: crazy. If you love crazy plots and fast paced drama, be sure to check this hilarious manga out. Every volume is funny and you will be glad that you read it!
#3) Gakuen Alice by Tachibana Higuchi
Summary: 10 year old cute Mikan is very upset when her best friend, Hotaru, leaves for a boarding school in Tokyo that accept only so-called “genius” students. But, this does not stop Mikan from running away from home and finding her best friend Hotaru in the boarding school located atTokyo. Through various adventures, Mikan finally made it in. At first, she seems like a normal student, but mysterious events keep happening to Mikan. Is there something deeper in the school that Mikan is not aware of?
Opinion: If you like Harry Potter, you will most likely love this manga. This manga is a wonderful blend of comedy, mystery and imagination. This boarding school will be one of the most interesting schools that you will ever read about. I also like the characters’ personalities. They all have very different personalities that make me laugh. This deserves my #3, because of the creativity and depthness of the plot.
Summary: Is money everything? No it is not!! This is the attitude that Makino Tsukushi possess. Not wanting to disappoint her pushy money-loving parents, Makino Tsukushi reluctantantly enrolled in one of the most elite high schools of Japan. Needing to deal with rich spoilt brats every day, Makino lives her high school life by suppressing her anger. But..the presence of F4, a group of four rich trouble making boys, seems to ignite her inner fire. She goes to an all out battle with the four guys.
Opinion: This is not a fairy tale like Cinderella. This manga is a mix of comedy, mystery and excitement. In this story, the rich, elegant lifestyles aren’t exactly the best, and the poor, insufficient lifestyles aren’t exactly the worst either. What is the best life then? I will leave that to the reader to decide. This deserves my #2, because the story has almost 40 volumes, and it is remarkable how the author keeps the reader’s interest using few characters.
FINALLY, THE BEST IS… #1) Candy Candy By Kyoko Mizuki
Summary: This is a slice of life story about Candy Candy, a model girl who is adored by everyone, and has a heart that is unbelievably kind and beautiful. Even such a beautiful girl like Candy Candy has so many trials to face, as she begins her story in her beloved pony’s home and ends her story there.
Opinion: This story is what you will be expected of female teenage stories. The world of Candy Candy is beautiful, optimistic, romantic and innocent. Yet, even Candy Candy faces many obstacles, showing that no matter how wonderful thing are, there will always be challenges in front of us. This deserves my #1, because even though it is a very old manga, written at 1978, its beauty can still be felt at 2010.
